BAKED POTATO ENGLISH STYLE

 

3 Keys to Achieving British-Style Baked Potatoes

Making baked potatoes isn’t difficult, but here are the tips that made the most difference.

1. Slice them first. Like most Americans, I typically poke holes all over the potatoes before baking them to ensure they don’t explode in the oven. But Jo suggests slicing a cross shape about 1/4-inch thick into each potato. This helps them release some steam, makes the interior more fluffy, and also makes them easier to slice into when they’re piping hot.
2. Bake them for longer than you think. Many recipes (ours included) recommend baking potatoes for an hour at 425°F. Instead, Jo suggests baking potatoes at 400°F for closer to two hours. The potatoes won’t burn at this temperature and the long bake means the skin will be so crisp that it’s practically cracker-like.
3. Return them to the oven. After the two hours are up, remove the potatoes and carefully cut deeper into the slices you made initially. Then put the potatoes back in the oven for 10 more minutes. This helps to dry out the flesh further and makes it extra fluffy.
4. sEE FULL ARTICLE:
5. Jacket Potato Recipe - How to Make Baked Potatoes Fluffy & Crisp | Kitchn (thekitchn.com)
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DUCK BEEN CAN IN OVEN

 There are two distinct advantages to using this rather than a makeshift beercan.

First we should not be cooking with aluminum, especially at high temperatures.  I've replaced aluminum foil with parchment paper in my oven cooking.  

Second the rack stabilizes the bird.  

Preheated oven 400 .  Rubbed with paprika and pepper after some poking with fork.

Put in oven.  I was very happy it easily fit.  

Basted it a couple times.

400 for an hour

375 for an hour

300 for a half hour.

I basted twice.

Next time up the initial setting to 425, and leave off the paprika which just blackens on the outside.  

Other than that the inner flesh was moist and the outer skin was crispy.  The fat was very clear and I put in in the fridge in a jar.  Very tasty on morning eggs.  Because the duck did not sit and brown on the roasting pan, there was almost no brown in the saved fat.

I had the back as leftover the next day. Unlike oven roasted duck, it had a good bit of crisp from the beer can roasting, and the rest of the crisp I got by frying it in a bit of duck fat. I don't think I'll ever put a chicken or a duck in a roasting pan again.

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Just pepper this time. 

IN the top of the  cavity I put some tangerines.

I used Bush NA beer.

 I did not have my Florida skewer racks, but I took two skewers and put potatoes on them.   We'll see.

This duck is very interesting.  It is unlike any I have ever cooked before.  It seems to have a bit more fat in the bottom and there is a fatty flap that includes the neck.  When flapped in place it hangs down a third the length of the duck.

The company is Jurgiewick.

America's Tastiest Duck - Jurgielewicz Duck (tastyduck.com)

425 degrees for about an hour

350 for about an hour.

Duck then was done.

Here is the recipe from the company, but it is not for the beer can version

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Place duck breast side up on rack in roasting pan and slowly pour boiling water over.
3. Cool, pour water from cavity into pan. Pat dry inside and out reserving water in pan.
4. Salt and pepper inside and out.
5. Cook 45 mins then remove from oven.
6. Reduce temperature to 375°F
7. Turn duck over, cook 45 mins, remove from oven.
8. Turn duck over again to breast side up, drain any liquid from cavity into pan.
9. Roast duck until skin is brown and crispy, approx 30 mins.
10. Drain liquid from cavity into pan and let rest.

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Here is a recipe that calls for pouring boiling water over the duck before scoring to make a crisper skin.

​​Crisp Roast Duck Recipe - NYT Cooking (nytimes.com)